Article of footwear including cross-strap



Dec. 9, 1969 H, GR E ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR INCLUDING CROSS-STRAP Filed Sept. 9, 1968 ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,482,337 ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR INCLUDING CROSS-STRAP Herman H. Granek, 70-10 Kessel St., Forest Hills, N.Y. 11375 Filed Sept. 9, 1968, Ser. No. 758,542

Int. Cl. A43b 3/12 US. Cl. 36--11.5 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A sandal comprises a sole, a cross-strap having an elastic section and extending between the sides of the sole, and a shield located on the cross-strap and having parallel slots separated by a medial strip, the cross-strap extending through the slots about the front of the medial strip. A toe thong is formed of a molded elastic member having its free ends secured to the sole toe section and its medial section folded into a looped end registering with the straps over the medial strip, the elastic member passing through the looped end to engage the strap. The shield is formed of superimposed plastic layers which are heat sealed along the slot borders, the top layer being of lesser area than the bottom layer and secured thereto by heat sealing along the edges of the upper layer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to improvements in footwear and it relates particularly to an improved sandal type of slipper.

A form of footwear which is very popular is the sandal because of its comfort, simplicity, ruggedness, low cost and attractive appearance. A type of sandal which possesses many advantages of a construction which includes a cross-strap extending between the side edges of the sole and a toe thong which extends from the toe portion of the sole to the cross-strap and, at its leading end, in wear, registers wtih a space between a pair of adjacent toes, usually between the big toe and the next successive toe. However, the toe thong type of sandal is frequently highly uncomfortable and does not readily conform to the wearers foot. Furthermore, this sandal commonly abrades the skin of the foot of the wearer in the area of the toe thong to produce painful calluses and blisters. Accordingly, the conventional toe thong type of sandal leaves much to be desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is thus a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved article of footwear.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved sandal construction.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved toe thong type of sandal.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved toe thong type of sandal which easily and readily conforms to the shape of the wearers foot and in which skin abrasion by the toe thong is minimized.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an article of footwear of the above nature chari 3,482,337 Cg Patented Dec. 9, 1969 acterized by its comfort, ruggedness, ease of construction, low cost and attractive appearance.

The above and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment thereof.

In a sense, the present invention contemplates the provision of an article of footwear comprising a sole, a crossstrap including a longitudinally elastic section and connected to opposite sides of said sole rearwardly of the toe portion thereof, and a longtiudinally elastic toe thong having opposite ends thereof secured to said sole toe portion and said cross-strap respectively at a point between the ends of said cross-strap. Another feature of the article of footwear is the provision of a shield having a pair of transversely spaced longitudinal slots separated by an intermediate band, the cross-strap passing through the slots and across the front face of the intermediate band. The toe thong engages the portion of the cross-strap overlying the shield intermediate band. The shield is formed of supen'mposed top and bottom thermoplastic panels, heat sealed to each other along the borders of the slots, the top panel being of lesser area than the bottom panel and heat sealed thereto along the edges of the top panel.

The toe throng advantageously has an elasticity requirement between 0.25 and 1.8 pounds to effect a 25% elongation. According to a preferred form of the improved sandal, the toe thong is formed of a fabric sheathed elastic cord folded at an intermediate point to form a pair of continuous legs joined by a looped upper end and having their free ends secured to the sole toe section. The thong legs pass around the strap and through the end loop to effect the attachment thereof to the cross-strap.

The improved sandal overcomes the drawbacks and disadvantages of the conventional toe thong type sandal. It readily and easily conforms to the foot of the wearer to minimize abrasion and obviate an important cause of calluses and blisters. Moreover, the improved sandal is highly attractive, rugged, long wearing, highly comfortable and of low cost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a sandal embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view thereof, partially in section;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the unassembled blanks forming the shield portion thereof;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the assembled blanks illustrating the heat seal and cut lines;

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the finished shield; and

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 66 in FIGURE 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the reference numeral 10 generally designates the improved article of footwear in the form of a sandal. The improved sandal comprises a sole and heel assembly 11, a cross-strap 12, a toe thong 13, a heel strap 14, and a decorative shield member 16.

The assembly 11 is of known construction and includes a suitably shaped main or under sole 17 formed of leather or other desirable material and having attached to its trailing underface a leather or rubber heel 18. Cemented or otherwise attached to the sole 17 and coextensive therewith is an inner sole 18 of known construction including an inner core member covered by a facing web such as a pliable synthetic thermoplastic sheet, a fabric or the like. A suitable edged opening 19 is formed in the leading or toe section of the inner sole 18 inwardly offset from the medial axis thereof and spaced rearwardly of the front edge at a point corresponding to the area between the large and adjacent toes of the wearer.

The cross-strap 12 includes a main section 20 formed of a flexible non-elastic band having one end anchored to one side of the sole assembly 11 by being sandwiched between and cemented to the inner faces of the sole and inner sole 17 and 18, between the toe and heel sections thereof. The other end of the strap section 20 is attached by sewing to one end of an elastic band 21 the other end of which is attached to the sole assembly 17 at a point opposite to that of the opposite end of strap section 20, by cementing it between the faces of the sole and inner sole 17 and 18. The elastic band 21 is advantageously of the woven elastic yarn type between /3 inch and 1 inch long, for example /2 inch of low fatigue and high elastic recovery, and has a stretchability preferably between 0.15 pound and 2.00 pounds for 25% extension, that is it requires 0.15 to 2.00 pounds to stretch the relaxed, elastic band to 125% of its original unloaded length. It should be noted that both ends of the crossstrap 12 may be attached to the sole assembly 11 by elastic bands, or the plastic band may be otherwise located along the length of the cross-strap or the cross-strap may be elastic along its full length, but advantageously possesses a total stretchability corresponding to that contributed by the elastic band 21.

The heel strap 14 is of adjustable length and includes a pair of sections 23 and 24, each provided at its forward end with a loop portion 26 which engages opposite sides of the cross-strap 12. The strap section 23 is provided with a buckle 27 which adjustably engages the free end of the other strap section 24.

The toe thong 13 is longitudinally elastic with little fatigue and high elastic recovery. The thong 13 is formed of an elastic gore 28, that is a core formed of an elastic cord or yarn of a natural or synthetic rubber base and enclosed in a yarn or fiber sheath which is longitudinally extendable. The gore 28 forming the thong 13 is folded along its midpoint to form a loop section 29 from which the gore legs 28 extend in juxtaposition, their free sections 30 passing through the opening 19 and being anchored to the sole assembly 11 such as by being sandwiched between and cemented to the sole 17 and inner sole 18. The medial section of cross-strap 12 is upwardly formed, as at 32, the gore loop 29 being reverse folded with its legs embracing the sides of the cross-strap medial section 32, the center 33 of the loop section 29 being positioned adjacent the forward edge of the cross-strap 12, the gore legs 28 extending above the loop center section 33 and under the cross-strap section 32, so that the thong 13 is attached to the medial part of the cross-strap 12.

The length of the thong 13 between the cross-strap 12 and the inner sole opening 19 is advantageously between 1 /2 inches and 4 inches, for example, 3 inches. The thong 13 advantageously has a stretchability at a 25% elongation of between 0.25 pound and 1.8 pounds, that is, the force required to stretch the thong 13 to a length of 1.25 times its unloaded, relaxed length. It should have a high continuous elastic recovery which exceeds 80% of the stretch at 50% elongation, and should possess a minimum of fatigue.

The shield member 16 may be of any desired configuration and appearance and is advantageously soft and flexible and has formed therein a pair of laterally spaced longitudinal slots 34, slightly longer than the width of the cross-strap 12 and separated by an intermediate strip or section 36. In the assembled condition of the sandal 10 the cross-strap 12 passes through the slots 34, the cross-strap medial section 32 extending above the shield front face which underlies the trailing section of the thong 13. The strap section 32 is engaged by the thong 13'at a point above the shield section 36.

The shield 16 is advantageously formed in accordance with the present invention, by superimposing different appearing panels of soft flexible thermoplastic material, such as saran, polyvinyl chloride or the like, and by the use of high frequency energized dies constructed and related in a known manner. The panels are heat sealed to each other along predetermined lines, and lines of weakness and cut lines are formed along these lines of scaling to permit the separation of the sections defining the slots 34 and different sections of the panels so that the remaining sealed sections provides the desired appearance and structure.

Specifically, the shield 16 illustrated in the drawing is formed of three superimposed panels or blanks, upper blank 37 and lower blank 38 which may be a pair of blanks or a multiple blank, for example, formed of a pair of preunited layers. The superimposed blanks 37 and 38 are subjected to a suitably designed high frequency energized dielectric heating die to heat seal the panels 37 and 38 to each other along seal lines a and b which are illustrated as of how shaped outline and parallel to each other, although they may be of other configuration. Heat seal lines o delineating the slots 34 are also formed. The depth of penetration of lines a and c is sufiicient to effect the separation of the sections of the respective panels delineated by the lines a and c from each other to leave a bow shaped base section having the edge sealed fused slots 34. The seal line b is of a depth which does not significantly penetrate the base section 39 but forms a line weakness which permits the separation of the inner section 40 delineated thereby from the blanks 37 and 38 to leave a border section 41 sealed along its inner and outer edges to the base section 39. The panels 37 and 38 may be of different colors and otherwise differ in appearance. It should be noted that shields of different shapes and appearance may be produced in the above manner and that a plurality of shields 16 may be simultaneously produced from the superimposed blanks.

While there has been described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is apparent that numerous alterations, omissions and additions may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. An article of footwear comprising a sole, a crossband having ends thereof secured to opposite sides of said sole and including a longitudinally elastic section, and a thong member extending from the toe section of said sole to said cross-band between the ends thereof, said thong member being longitudinally elastic.

2. The article of claim 1, wherein said thong is of an elastic modulus requiring between 0.25 pound and 1.8 pounds for a 25 elongation.

3. The article of claim 2 wherein said thong is between 1 /2 inches and 4 inches long.

4. The article of claim 2, wherein said thong has an elastic recovery of at least at 50% elongation.

5. The article of claim 2, wherein at least a section of said cross-band is longitudinally elastic.

6. The article of claim 2, wherein said cross-band includes an elastic section between A inch and 1 inch long and having an elastic modulus requiring a force of between 0.25 pound and 2.0 pounds to produce a 25 elongation.

7. The article of claim 1 including a buckle member having a pair of transversely spaced longitudinal slots formed therein separated by an intermediate strip, said cross-band extending through said slots and about the 5 front of said strip, and said thong being formed of an elastic cord folded at an intermediate point to form a loop, said cord extending from cord 100p about said crossband and through said loop to said sole.

8. In a shoe, a decorative shield comprising a first panel of thermoplastic sheeting, a second panel of lesser area superimposed on said first panel and heat sealed thereto along the edges of said second panel, said first panel having a pair of laterally spaced slots formed therein, the

edges of said slots being heat fused, and an intermediate 1 strip positioned between said slots,

6 9. The shield of claim 8, wherein a pair of superimposed thermoplastic panels are located in the area of said slots, said slots being formed in said panels and having heat sealed coinciding edges.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,971,278 2/1961 Scholl 3611.5 X 3,070,908 1/1963 Lipae 36-115 PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner 

